New Friends, New Enemies
by Wolfwind97
Summary: Jack and Kate Beckett used to be good friends. Now, Kate has invited Jack and Alex to New York to visit. Alex can get away from MI6 for a while and Jack can reunite with an old friend. What could go wrong? Will Kate and Castle learn about Alex's 'job?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, this was just a random idea that came into my mind. Set after Eagle Strike (my favourite).**

**(Jack)**

I sat at the computer, talking to an old friend from New York. She used to be one of my friends when I lived in America, but I didn't really talk to her again after her mother died. Now, Katherine Beckett was a member of the NYPD. I didn't hear Alex come downstairs until it was too late. "Who are you talking to?"

"An old friend from New York. My mom had a friend in New York and her daughter, Kate, and I became good friends. Then, Kate's mom died and we stopped talking. Aparently, she's a member of the NYPD." I stated. "And... she's asked us to come visit."

Alex took all this in, "Okay... wait, she knows you're taking care of me?"

"Yeah, after all friends tell each other everything." I replied. "She's fine with it, though. She still wants us to come to New York."

"So... we going?" Alex asked.

I looked at him, "I'm going, do you want to?"

"You're not going to leave me behind." Alex stated. "When do we leave?"

"I've already checked for flights to New York and there's one leaving in two days, so how about that one?" I asked.

Alex nodded, "Sounds good."

***Two Days Later***

**(Alex)**

New York was... busy. People walked around on the street with a places to go and people to see. That was how Jack and I walked. Kate Beckett said we could meet her at NYPD headquarters, so that's what we headed. After a few hours of walking into stores and sightseeing, we finally made it to our destination. At the main desk, a woman got on a phone, then told us to use the elevator to get to the floor we wanted on. After we got off the elevator, we saw a lot of detectives roaming around.

"I thought detectives wore long, brown coats, hats, and glasses." I joked, making Jack laugh.

"Only in movies, Alex. Now, look for-" Jack was cut off.

"Who are you looking for?" A man asked.

Jack looked at him, "Katherine Beckett."

The man turned to his partner, "I don't know a Katherine Beckett, do you?"

"Never heard of her in my life." The partner said, "But she does sound like a close friend to you, am I right?"

Jack nodded, "Yes."

"Too bad we don't know any Katherine Beckett's, right Ryan?"

Ryan nodded, "Right."

I was too busy trying not to laugh. These two men acted serious, but I could tell they were joking. I shook my head, wondering when Jack would catch on. A gleam appeared in her eyes and I knew she finally caught on to their 'game'.

Jack sighed, "Okay, you say you don't know a Katherine Beckett... Well, who is that behind you?"

The two men turned around, "Hey..."

"Esposito, Ryan, are you trying to confuse my friend?"

The two spoke at the same time, "Yes" "No" Then, both sighed, "Maybe."

Jack passed Esposito and Ryan and hugged Kate, "I haven't seen you in years!"

"It's been too long, Jack." Kate stated, "How was your trip?"

"Funny. A waitress spilled water on Alex's head." Jack laughed a bit, "Other than that, it was kind of boring."

Kate looked at me, "So, you're the Alex she was telling me about."

I nodded and shook her hand, "And you must be the famous Kate Beckett."

Kate smiled, then, a man came out of a room. "Beckett, there's a body only a block away from here."

"We're on it, Captain." Kate said and pulled out a cell phone. "Castle, body on Henderson Street **(A/N: No clue if this is a real street)**." She hung up the phone, "I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack shrugged, "Don't be, it's your job."

Kate nodded and went to the elevator with a few more detectives. Jack looked at me, "I guess we hang out here for a while."

We sat in a chair over an hour, waiting. It was six thirty-nine p.m. now and I was growing extremely bored. Then, the detectives arrived. I watched as Kate and another guy began to walk toward us. The guy had not seen us yet.

"I'm just saying, Kate, it could be a top rate assassain hired to kill him, they drop his body from the construction site, and leave it there. Wait, if it was..." He went to sit down in the same chair I was sitting in. I looked at Jack, who was staring at the man, and Kate, who was about to warn the man he was about to sit on me. I rolled my eyes and moved the chair away, sliding it across the floor. The man fell to the ground, "Where did my chair go?"

Jack laughed and Kate grinned, "Castle." Kate said, "You really need to watch where you sit."

I rose to my feet and moved away from the chair, not wanting sit on. Castle looked at the chair, "What's it doing over there? Kate, I think this place is haunted." He grabbed it and moved it back to it's original spot, then sat down. "Who are they?" He asked, pointing to Jack and I.

Kate shook her head, "This is Jack, she's an old friend of mine. He's Alex, the kid you just about sat on." She pointed at the man, "This is Richard Castle."

"Sat on?" Castle asked, "So that's how my chair moved. Sorry, kid."

I shrugged, "It's fine."

Then, Castle's phone rang, "Hey honey." There was a moment pause. "You can go if you want to." Another pause, "Okay, bye, love you, too." He hung up the phone.

"Daughter?" Jack asked.

Castle nodded then pointed at Alex, "He your son?"

Alex laughed at Jack's expression, "I'm not that old!" Jack yelled. "I'm just his guardian."

"Oh, sorry about that, then." Castle said and went to get a cup of coffee.

Beckett sighed, "I'm sorry, Jack. He's like a five year old on a sugar rush."

"It's okay," Jack replied. Then, the two began to talk about their childhood. Needless to say, I eventually grew bored and began to roam around. A lot of people passed me, but none asked who I was or what I was doing here. Instead, they all ignored me and went about their business. I continued walking, that is, until I heard a large explosion. The building shook and I grabbed a wall for support, looking around. The other detectives in the building were shocked as well, but after the tremors were over, many ran over to the windows. I did the same and looked at the smoke that filled the sky. Above that smoke, was a helicopter flying away from the building. People began to run around the building, doing whatever they could to help. I watched as a group of people went to the elevator. After noticing Castle, Esposito, Ryan and Beckett were one of those people, I decided to go to. I ran to the elevator, but somebody pushed me back.

"Stay back, kid." A man said. "We can't have you getting in our way."

I stepped back and the elevator left. Patiently, I waited for the elevator to return. When it did, I stepped in and went down to the main floor. Everything was chaotic here too, but I managed to slip away and get outside of the building. I went through back alleys as much as I could until I was close to the building. Flames reached toward the sky and smoke filled the air around me. NYPD was on the scene already, waiting on the fire department, whose sirens could be heard in the distance. Everything was loud, but you could hear the woman screaming from the building. My head shot up at the sound and I tried to pinpoint where it was coming from. There, on the fire escape, was a woman, probably in her thirties, with a broken leg. Officers rushed to the fire escape, but it was ruined by the impact of the explosion, showing that is where the explosion occurred. I took all this in instantly and ran over to the neighboring building. There was a fire escape on this one as well in the same place as the burning building. I climbed as quickly as I could and reached the level opposite of the injured woman. The gap between the two was too large, so I had to climb up a level further. I ran, jumped on the railing blocking me from falling to my death, and jumped as far as I could. Luckily, I made it and crouched next to the woman, "I'm going to get you out of here. Just trust me. You're going to be okay." I wrapped her arm around my opposite shoulder and helped her on down the fire escape. A small explosion shook the fire escape and made debris fall down, some scorching my back and neck. I managed to help the woman to the lowest level of the fire escape, where a few officers waited. "Grab my hand." She did and crawled through the small opening where the useless ladder was. She looked at me, fear shining in her eyes. "I'm going to drop you. There are officers under you that will catch you, but you have to relax your grip." When the woman's grip on my hand was relaxed, I let go of her. She fell into the waiting arms of the officers. Then, a loud rumbling filled the air and I noticed the building was collapsing. I jumped off the fire escape, twisting my ankle in the process. Despite the pain, I ran with two officers by my side. We ran as fast as we could with the building collapsing. I dove behind a police car and dust filled the air, blinding me. When it finally cleared a little, I noticed the two officers were Esposito and Ryan, who were both taking cover beside me. I stood up and tried to slip away, but it didn't work. Ryan grabbed my arm and lead me to one of the ambulances despite my protests of being fine.

The woman was already there, when she saw me, she motioned for me to go over to where she was. I did and she hugged me, "Thank you so much..." She began to cry. The only thing I could do was hug her back and wait for her to let me go. When she did, she smiled at me, "Thank you..."

I held out my hand, "Alex Rider."

She shook my hand, "Sarah Anderson."

Ryan put a hand on my shoulder and lead me to another ambulance. After a lot of protests, I was in the ambulance with my shirt off so the paramedic could clean the burn wounds on my back and shoulders. When they checked my ankle, they told me to just stay off it for a while. I sat on the main back of the ambulance when Beckett and Castle walked over. "What were you thinking?" Beckett asked.

_Uh-oh, I'm in trouble now... _I thought. Now, I had to face the wrath of Katherine Beckett.

**A/N: So, good... bad... awesome... awful? Should I continue this story? Give me some feedback! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I planned on updating this earlier, but here's what stopped me from updating. Let's put an equation in this author's note, shall we? 18 room house + numerous gallons of paint + ceilings + walls = a lot of work. Yep, I've been painting the interior of my house. I know it's really short, but I have other things to do and I promised I would update before the weekend (which didn't happen), but it's Saturday, so I figured that would be fine.**

**(Beckett)**

The boy, Alex, just stared at the ground. "Well?" I asked.

"Um... well... I wasn't thinking, I just reacted." Alex said, "I couldn't just let her die. If I hadn't reacted like I did, she would be dead right now. I'm sorry, Kate, but what would you do if you were in my place and knew you could do something to help somebody?" When he saw my face, he said, "Exactly. You would do whatever you could to save them. That's what I done. That's what I was thinking. Is there really something wrong with that? With my way of thinking, reacting? If there is, I don't see it."

I was lost for words for a moment, "You could have been killed. Did you even think about how Jack would be when she learned you were dead?"

Alex snorted and muttered, "She's used to those kind of situations now..."

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." Alex said, "Now, what are you going to do? Arrest me?"

I shook my head, "No. I'll let Jack deal with you. Come on, we have to get back to the station."

I walked away, but Castle waited for the teen. "That was amazing!" I heard Castle say, "That was like something a soldier or a secret agent would do."

Alex laughed, "Too bad I'm not a soldier or a secret agent, then." There was something about the way he laughed, it was a forced laugh. He was hiding something, I knew it. However, I figured Jack would know something and debated on whether or not to ask her later. Alex and Castle continued talking even when we got in my car and went back to the station. We walked into the elevator and was met by Jack once we reached our destination.

"Alex!" Jack exclaimed in shock when she saw how dirty he was and how he was limping. "Are you okay? What did you do?"

Before he could speak, I said, "Jack, that can wait for later. It's late and we need to go back to my apartment."

Jack nodded, "Okay." She pointed at Alex, "But I better get a full explanation when we get there."

"Yes, ma'am." Alex mocked salute. "Oh, and I'm fine Jack. Just a twisted ankle and a few minor burns, nothing major."

Jack sighed, "You just can't stay out of trouble, Alex."

"It follows me." Alex replied. The three of us left the building and went to my apartment.

"It's not a very large apartment, but do whatever you want to make yourself comfortable." I said and went to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water. "Anybody want a water?" After both said 'yes', I grabbed two more water bottles and sat in the living room with them.

Jack looked at Alex, "Okay, now tell me what happened."

Alex nodded, "Okay... I looked out the window and saw a helicopter flying over a smoking building. Naturally, I was curious and went to investigate. When I got there, I saw an injured woman on the fire escape of the burning building and helped her to safety."

"That's not all of it." I stated.

Alex laughed nervously, "Really, because that's all I remember."

"You jumped from the neighboring building's fire escape! You could have been killed! Especially when the building started to collapse!" I stated angrily.

Jack glared at Alex, "Exactly how much do you leave out when you tell me stuff like this?"

"Just the minor details..." Alex replied. "Look, I'm fine, the woman's fine, there's nothing else to worry about."

I shook my head, "Wrong, we have to find who placed a bomb in that building."

"It wasn't in the building." Alex stated simply.

I was about to question that when my phone started ringing. I sighed and answered the phone, "What do you want, Castle?"

"Beckett, I've been thinking about what happened today. If the bomb went off inside the building, wouldn't the building have a huge hole or something in it? The only thing wrong with that building was the fire and the beams weakened when the bomb went off-"

I decided to stop him right there, "Castle, what are you saying?"

"The bomb wasn't in the building, Beckett." He stated.

I looked over at Alex for a second and started talking to Castle again, "You're not the only one who has come to that conclusion."

"You figured it out before me?" Castle asked.

"No, Alex did." There was a moment of silence, "Castle, I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay."

"Oh, right, you have company. Tell Alex I'll find out where the bomb went off before he does. Bye, Beckett!" Castle said.

I was shocked, "Castle, it's not a game, it's a possible-" I was silenced by the click signaling I was now talking to myself. I set the phone on the table and sighed. "I'm sorry things have been so hectic on your first day here, but big situations like this rarely happens."

"Don't worry too much about it, Beckett." Jack stated.

I nodded, "That reminds me," I looked over at Alex. "What did you mean at the ambulance when you said 'Jack's used to those kind of situations now'?"

Alex faked a surprised look, "I didn't say-"

"Yes you did. Now, what did you mean?" I replied, waiting for an answer.

Alex hesitated for a few moments, "Okay. You really want to know? Fine, then. I've been involved with the police too many times to count. I joined a gang a while back and I would always get in trouble. Finally, the police caught me and blackmailed me into selling out my gang members. I did, I told them everything. They didn't catch every gang member though, so the remainder of the gang came after me."

"The police didn't offer you protection?" I asked.

Alex shook his head, "None. I ran and avoided them for days, but they eventually caught up. The police intervened only when I was in critical condition at the hospital. That was a year ago, though."

I didn't believe it one bit. Alex just didn't look like a gang member. In all honesty, he looked more lethal than a ordinary gang member. "What gang?"

"Chinese Triad." Alex replied simply. This is when I really didn't believe him. They would have killed him without a second thought, but I let it go. I knew then I was going to have to try to get information from Jack.

I sighed, "Well, it's late. I'm going to bed. I have a guest bedroom, so one can sleep there. The couch is open to whoever. Blankets are in the closet over there and the batroom is down the hall." They both nodded, "Good night." I went to my room and shut the door. There was something more about Alex, but I couldn't see what it was. Also, with the bomb today, what's going on with that? How did both Alex and Castle come to the same conclusion that the bomb was not in the building? What is Jack Starbright and Alex Rider hiding?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I don't own AR or Castle... If I did, Scorpia Rising would have ended differently and Castle would be on it's new season already... Power was out, that's why I haven't updated in forever... Sorry!**

***The Next Morning***

**(Castle)**

I was ready a little earlier than usual because I simply couldn't sleep well. After all, a bomb going off in the middle of New York City, close to NYPD, was not a regular occurence. Alexis and mother were still asleep, surprisingly, so I went ahead and left after leaving a short note on the countertop. My mind was jumbled and racing with thoughts that would leave many people with a migraine. However, the only thing I couldn't figure out was where the location of the bomb was and who planted it. Terrorist? It seemed like a reasonable answer, but they would go for a larger target. Gang members? Nah, too risky for the entire gangs. Were any of them smart enough to plant a bomb anyway? Maybe... How about... _Wow, I'm running out of ideas... Not good, _I thought to myself. In a short time, I reached the NYPD station and went to the elevator that would take me to my final destination. I went straight to Beckett's desk and realized her two guests were with her along with Ryan and Esposito.

"You're up early for once, Ryan." I stated jokingly.

He yawned, "Doesn't mean I'm not exhausted. Couldn't sleep a bit, because I was thinking about the bomb ordeal."

"Same here." Esposito agreed, "We don't have a lot of bombings in New York City, especially not close to here."

Beckett interrupted our conversations, "Okay, so we know the bomb wasn't in the building, so why was-"

"It close to a small target?" I asked.

She nodded, "Why did they choose a small building when they could have caused more damage with a larger target?"

Everybody was silent.

Then, "It was a diversion." I said, then noticed all of us said the same thing.

"Or a warning." The teen, Alex, added.

Beckett nodded, considering the statements. "Then what was the warning or diversion for?"

Silence.

Silence.

More silence...

Alex was the first one to speak, "The helicopter."

I looked up, confused. "What helicop-" Then I remembered the helicopter leaving the area when the building was on fire. "It left as soon as the bomb went off."

"Which means, it could have had something to do with the explosion." Beckett stated.

"How can we be sure it wasn't randomly flying by? It could be a coincidence."

Alex added, "Or a conspiracy."

"There's another problem." I said, "I don't believe any of us saw the helicopter enough to identify it." My words sunk in to the others minds. I was right and they knew it. There was no way we would have a good image or definite proof that the helicopter was involved.

"Actually, there may be a way... There are cameras on the building over there." Alex was over at the window and he pointed toward a tall building. "Maybe one of them caught the helicopter flying away."

We all walked over to the window and saw the building Alex was talking about. It was tall building and there is a possibilty it may have caught the helicopter flying away. "Esposito, Ryan, go over to that building and see if you can get the video." Beckett ordered and the two men left hurriedly. "It's a long shot, but it may work."

Jack and Beckett sat down in empty chairs, but I stayed where I was. "Coffee break." I stated, "Jack, Alex, you want one?"

Jack's eyes lit up at the mention of coffee. Alex shook his head, "What is with Americans and coffee?"

"You don't like coffee?" I asked, shocked.

"It's bitter, no matter how much sugar or milk you put into it." Alex replied.

I grinned, "What is with British people not liking coffee?"

"I guess it's a teenage thing. If you drink coffee, it makes you feel older." The teen replied.

"I'm not that old!" I stated.

Alex shrugged, "You're older than me." Then he grinned and went to the coffee machine.

Then, I remembered something. "How did you figure out the bomb wasn't in the building? It takes somebody who knew a little about bombs to come to that conclusion."

He hesitated and, in that moment, I knew he was thinking of a lie. "My uncle taught me a lot about the military, including bombs. He told me a lot of things about how you can find the exact position of the bomb after it explodes and a lot of other details. There was no hole in the building, so I figured the bomb went off somewhere else."

"That's a lot of figuring for a teenager." I stated simply, wondering what the real truth was.

"A lot of people call me a strategist." Alex replied bluntly as he fixed Jack a cup of coffee.

I still didn't believe him, but I pretended to and let the subject drop.

***One Hour Later***

"There was only one camera that caught the helicopter leaving. The quality isn't too good, but you can tell who was in the helicopter." Ryan stated as he downloaded the video clip into his computer. When it finally downloaded, a large video appeared on the screen.

Right away, Beckett said, "Black Sand."

"Black Sand?" Jack asked.

Esposito nodded, "They're a criminal organiztion, one of the most dangerous in the U.S. but also the most hidden one. They hardly ever strike, which makes them impossible to find."

"But they've always attacked larger targets before, so I bet their planning to attack something else." Ryan commented.

Beckett nodded, "We have to find them before they strike again."

"Like finding an invisible needle in a haystack." I stated. "Wait, we forgot about the Henderson Street homicide."

Beckett nodded, "Captain Montgomery sent the case to other detectives so we could be free for this one."

"So, what do we do about the Black Sand? If they're impossible to trace, then do we wait for them to strike? What if they strike and just disappear in thin air?" I asked.

Ryan replied, "You forgot one thing Castle... They already attacked with that bomb."

I nodded, trying to think of a solution to the problem, but I came up blank. "So... we just wait?"

Beckett nodded, "For now."

"But that's so boring! For a criminal organization, they're not very exciting!" I voiced my impatience.

**(Unknown)**

"Set up for the next target. We strike tomorrow at 1500 hours 32 minutes." I said. The man in front of me nodded, then left the room. Sunlight streamed through the windows and a cup of coffee rested in my hand. Tomorrow would be interesting...


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while and I know you probably think I'm just making up excuses to keep you from killing me... I had a wedding in my yard Saturday, so I had to decorate and stuff for it. I was a volunteer at Energy Express (where I basically had to watch fifteen kids)... Yeah, I've been busy. So, here's the next chapter! Sorry for the wait!**

***The Next Day***

**(Alex)**

Something was bothering me, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Have you ever felt like you should remember a small detail and it's right at the edge of your mind, but you can not figure it out? I paced the room, trying to remember something I wasn't sure needed to be remembered. Jack and I were in Kate's apartment and I still paced around like a caged animal. Something, some minor detail was driving me insane. I looked out the window, trying to find something outside that could bring up a memory of anything that could be useful. _Something... Wait, think outside the box. I don't know what I'm trying to remember, but it has to be important... Okay, there is the whole bomb ordeal with a small target. The Black Sand is obviously planning something on a larger scale. The building was most likely a diversion to keep our focus on it while they prepare for the next step. Question is, what are they planning? _I shook my head, clearing those thoughts out of my head. _None of that is bothering you... There's something else I'm overlooking. _I was pulled away from my thoughts by somebody talking to me.

"Alex, are you going to pace around all day?" Jack asked.

I stopped pacing, "Sorry, something is bothering me and I'm just trying to figure out what."

Jack smiled, "And you're doing that by pacing?"

Smiling, I said, "Maybe pacing helps me? I don't know." It was then I decided not to linger on an unknown detail. At one point, it would come to mind. I looked outside, seeking for something, anything, that may trigger the one memory I needed. Nothing came to me. I sighed and gave up. Looking at the clock, I noticed it was 2:56 p.m. and it had been raining for three hours now. _What am I missing that's so important? _I thought back to the bomb in the building. Then I remembered the fire escape. I remembered seeing the fire escape being deformed and thinking that was where the bomb went off. However, that was not the minor detail that bothered me. I picked up the phone and dialed NYPD station.

"Who are you calling, Alex?" Jack asked. I held up a hand, motioning for her to wait for a minute.

"Captain Montgomery, NYPD-"

I cut him off, "Montgomery, this is Alex. One bome went off near the fire escape, but-"

"How do you know this?" He asked.

"Just, trust me, please. There was more than one bomb." I stated.

"Alex, how do you know this?" Captain Montgomery asked.

I told him, "The station shook from the force of the bomb exploding, but the bomb that deformed the fire escape didn't have enough force to cause a large building to shake like it did, despite how close it was. Which means-"

He cut me off, "Another bomb was detonated at the same time further inside the building."

"Yes, either it was far away from the building or maybe even underground." I stated. "I still think it's a diversion or a warning, but they may be trying to hide something, or even kill somebody that was in the building. The helicoptor probably stayed to make sure the building had exploded, then left before people could get a good look at it."

Montgomery said nothing for a few seconds, "Okay, look, come in to the station. We need to figure out where they're going to strike next."

"Okay, I'll be there." I said and hung up the phone. "Jack, we're going to the station."

Jack nodded, knowing I would tell her the entire conversation along the way.

When Jack and I finally arrived at the station, Ryan and Esposito met us stepping off the elevator. "Alex, we have only one question for you." Ryan said, "How did you come up to the conclusion about the bomb?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. Common sense?"

They glared at me and I smiled to let them know I didn't mean that offensively. I walked to Captain Montgomery, Beckett, and Castle. Captain Montgomery had a serious look on his face and was talking to Beckett. "MI6 have taken an interest in this case. Apparently, there's already a young an unexpected agent here."

"Young and unexpected." Castle muttered to himself, "Could it be an eighteen year old?"

I looked at Jack who had a worried look on her face. Then I turned my attention to the others, "Why would the British government send an agent to New York to help with a case like this?"

Beckett shook her head, "That's what we're trying to figure out. Sir, I'll try to find this agent as soon as possible. If he or she was sent to help on this case, they would have to access to everything. I'll check everyone until we know who it was MI6 was talking about."

"Right now, though, we need to figure out where they'll strike next." Castle said, then his eyes went wild. "The Statue of Liberty!"

I shook my head at the theory, "It's a very slim chance. They would want to strike a place where a lot of people are without New York officials growing suspicious." I took my cell phone out of my pocket, "I'll be back." I went to a deserted desk and dialed Blunt's number. I briefly noticed the time was three thirty.

"Royal and General Bank, how can I help you?" The secretary's voice came over the phone.

"This is Alex Rider. I need to speak with Blunt." I looked around to make sure nobody was listening.

"There is no Blunt working here." The woman stated.

I sighed, "Look lady, right now is not a very good time to tell me Alan Blunt does not work there. You have seen me walk into that dreaded place how many times now? Put me through to Alan Blunt or Mrs. Jones, now."

"He is busy right now, can I take a message?" The woman asked.

I was about to yell at her, but there was already yelling coming from inside the building. I looked around and saw a man run off the elevator a bomb strapped to his chest. Behind him, eight men followed. I directed my attention back to the woman on the other end of the phone, "Yeah. Tell him to call me back, he owes me a lot of answers. If I don't answer, I'm most likely dead." I hung up the phone and watched the suicide bomber and the other intruders. Three detectives had been knocked out trying to take them down and each man had a gun in one hand and the suicide bomber had a trigger to the bomb in his right hand.

Several detectives raised their guns, "Put down the gun and the trigger." One said.

"You're not in the position to be making demands." One of them said. "If anybody moves, I shoot you." The bomber moved to the middle of the room and the others stayed close to the walls; I saw a chance. I quickly yet quietly crawled over to the elevator. I held up my cell phone and snapped a picture of the bomb on the man's chest and made sure he saw me.

The bomber smiled, "Trying to be the hero, boy? I'll only give you on chance to delete the picture you just took." One of the men pointed a gun at me.

"Okay, I will, but only if you tell me one thing. If I'm correct, you're a member of the Black Sand. So, are you attacking this station to get us out of the way or is this just another distraction?" I asked. The detectives around me stared in worry, warning me to keep my mouth shut and just delete the picture.

The man smiled, "You're a stubborn kid. That's how we're alike. I'll just tell you this, the Black Sand is a force that should not be underestimated."

The elevator door dinged, "Nah." I smiled, "They're a force that is currently being overestimated." I lunged toward the now-closing elevator door and ducked behind it. One of the men nearby tried to shove the elevator door open, but I kicked his hand, a loud crack piercing the air. A cry of pain followed, but I just went to the first floor, opened the front door, doubled back, and hid behind a desk. I heard two men run down the stairwell. At the same time, the front door closed. The two men cursed and ran to the door. One of them stopped, "I'll stay here. There's a chance the kid may have doubled back." The other man agreed and bolted out the door.

The man I nicknamed Boots, because of his loud, heavy shoes, began to walk around the room. I prepared for a fight. Boots stopped for a brief second and I chose that moment to attack. He was turned away from me and I jumped on his back, the gun falling from his hands. His hands reached over his head and clasped onto my shoulders. A heartbeat later, I was slammed into the floor. I lay there for a second, winded, then rose to my feet. The man grinned and attacked. I blocked most of the blows and tried to counterattack. Boots lashed out with one hand and a cut appeared from my elbow to my wrist. It wasn't deep, but large enough to bring blood. A long knife was in the man's hand and he lunged at me. I grabbed his arm, twisted it behind him, then punched him in the temple, knocking him out. I retrieved the knife and put it in my pocket. I called one number. "Smithers. I'm sending you a picture of a bomb. I need you to tell me how to deactivate it." I send him the picture and waited a minute. My cell phone rang, it was, of course, Smithers.

"You have to cut the third green wire from the left." He said, "Be careful, my boy."

"Okay." I hung up the phone.

The other man walked through the front door, saw me and lifted his gun. "Don't move or I'll shoot." I held up my hands and the man grabbed my by the back of my shirt, the gun pressing into my back. "If you try anything, I shoot."

"I get it, you're trigger happy today. You don't have to tell me twice you're going to shoot me." I stated. The man growled and led me to the elevator. When the elevator door opened, gunshots were fired. The intruders were lying on the ground covered in bullet wounds. The man holding me hostage walked over to the bomber.

"I see you managed to catch him. Where's the other one?" The bomber asked.

"This kid knocked him out." The man said and I carefully put my hand in my pocket reaching for the knife.

The bomber looked suprised, "Knocked him out? A kid? You can't be serious!" He pointed the gun at me. "You've outlived your usefulness." A shot was fired and the man holding me hostage crumpled to the floor, dead. "Okay, kid. You move, I kill you. Well, I'm going to kill you all anyway." The gun was pointed at my head now, but the man made one mistake: he looked away from me. I grabbed and twisted his wrist, sending the gun clattering to the floor. I back-kicked him in the head, stunning him. Grabbed the knife out of my pocket and cut the green wire leading to the bomb. I let him get up, an angry fire gleaming in his eyes. "You're dead!" He pushed the button, but nothing happened.

"No." I said as he lifted the gun at me. A single shot was fired and the bomber fell to the floor. "You're dead."

A phone rang on one of the desks and one of the detectives put it on speaker. "This is Alan Blunt of MI6." The head of military intelligence stated. "I'm sure you have all heard about the young and unexpected agent we had sent to help you with this case." There was a second of silence. "Most of you have already met him. His name, Alex Rider." The call ended and I was left with a lot of unbelieving stares. Oh, how I was going to kill Blunt.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm back! So, some people want me to hurry up and update this, so here it is. Enjoy!**

**(Beckett)**

There was nothing but silence, that is, until Castle broke it. "Um, either there's another Alex Rider here or I was actually right about the whole spy idea..." I had my gun in my hand, my hand still tingling after shooting the bomber. I didn't know what to say, nobody did.

The teen sighed, "I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"

I nodded, "Yes. I believe so."

Alex looked at everybody, "Look... Nobody really knows about me and I would rather it to stay that way. You have to promise not to tell anyone about what Blunt told you. It's true what he said. I'm a spy for MI6."

Castle interrupted him, "Hey, you probably just turned eighteen then, so it's not a big-"

"Wrong. I'm only fourteen." Alex stated. Shocked expressions filled the room, "Yeah, I know it's illegal."

"Illegal and dangerous." I stated, "Do you have any idea what this could do to the British government?"

"Look, Kate, you won't believe how many times I have 'saved' the world." He continued, "You all must have heard of Herod Sayle and the Stormbreakers?" Everyone nodded.

One of the detectives said, "Yeah. The government shut it down after Sayle died."

"The Stormbreakers had a virus in it that would kill millions of people. I was the agent they sent to find out what his motive was; it was my first mission. My uncle, Ian Rider, was sent on the same mission before me, but he was killed by a man named Yassen Gregorovich. Later on, Sayle's plans were stopped and he kidnapped me, intending to kill me. Yassen shot him before anything really happened." He stopped for a minute, waiting for that to sink in.

Captain Montgomery stepped in, "How many missions have you been on?"

"Counting the one Blunt just gave me, five." He stated simply.

Castle looked at the teen in awe, "Just how dangerous were these missions?"

"Considering most of them are undercover, they're usually pretty dangerous." He said and picked up the phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He shrugged, "I'm going to give Blunt a piece of my mind..." After a few seconds he hung up, "Not even answering the phone that worthless piece of sh-" He looked around at the others and stopped his small rant.

"That's how you jumped from one fire escape to the other!" Ryan exclaimed, "You've done stuff like this before then?"

"Like this whole bombing thing? Only once. Look, all of my missions are classified, I'm afraid I can't tell you anymore. I'm sorry." The teen stated, "However, Blunt assigned me to your case, Kate, and it would be an honor to join. I know you may think I won't be of help, but that's where my enemies make the mistake. They underestimate me."

I shook my head, "You're just a kid."

He laughed, "Do you want to know how many times I have heard that? I can take care of myself."

I looked at Jack, "Tell him he can't do this. Take him back to Britain, do something so he won't interfere."

Jack looked torn, "I'm sorry, Kate. I've tried to get Alex to stop doing MI6's dirty work, but they keep blackmailing him..."

"Kate, really, I can take care of myself. Just trust me on that, if anything. I really want to help and I'm already too far into this case to back out now. If it helps, I'll try to obey every order you give me."

I glanced at him, "Try?"

"Depends on the situation. Just please, let me join this case so I can go home and kill Blunt." Alex said, "If I'm a burden to you, then I will gladly leave and never come back."

I sighed, "Captain?"

Montgomery shrugged, "If the kid's willing to do it and MI6 said this is his mission, I don't see the point in trying to stop him. However," He looked at Alex. "You better not do anything reckless. I don't want to see a person your age in a body bag."

Alex smiled, "Thanks. Oh, and if Blunt gives you a call, tell him to call me before I go any further in digging his grave."

Captain Montgomery smiled, "Will do." He walked over to me as everybody began to recover from the attack, "Beckett, Castle, keep an eye on him. Tell Esposito and Ryan the same thing. I don't agree with a fourteen year old agent, but he's supposedly the best MI6 has."

"If you're that worried about him, then why did you let him on the case?" Castle voiced my thought.

"You saw what that kid done today, Beckett. A lot of teens aren't able to keep their composure in a situation like this. That kid, isn't a normal teenager, but I'm still an adult and I care about his safety just like everybody else here." Captain Montgomery paused, waiting for my answer.

I nodded, "Sir, even though I don't agree with this, I'll go along with it."

"You're one of my best detectives, Beckett. I honestly believe you and Alex will get along fine." Captain Montgomery walked away, leaving me to wonder what I just got myself into.

Jack's voice brought me out of my worried thoughts, "Kate. I'm sorry for not telling you about Alex earlier... It was his secret to tell, not mine."

"Don't worry about it, Jack. I understand." I stated. "If it was me, I would want to keep it a secret as well."

***Back at The Royal and General***

**(Jones)**

"Do you believe it was wise to tell them? If that secret is leaked out Alex's life will be ruined." I stated, telling Blunt what he already knew.

Blunt shrugged, "It makes us allies with America. Besides, if terrorists are attacking New York City, there is a chance they may attack here as well. From what I've heard, they have great resources. With Rider in New York, we may find out more about these attacks. I have talked to the NYPD captain, Montgomery if I'm not mistaken. He said a woman named Katherine Beckett is his best homicide detective. Alex Rider is out best agent. So, I figured if we put the two together on the same case, we will put an end to these terrorists."

I sighed, "I see what you mean." _But why can't Alex lead a normal life? He's just a teenager, a skilled one at that, but still... One day, something will ruin him. He will become emotionless, cold-hearted, dead... I hope Blunt doesn't ruin his life forever by blackmailing him into these missions._

***Back at NYPD Station***

**(Alex)**

Kate walked over to me, "Are you hurt?" She asked.

I shrugged, "Just a cut, but I'll be okay. It's nothing big." For a brief moment, I paused wondering if I should tell her what was on my mind. "I know you don't want my help on this case and I didn't really have a choice on whether or not to work on it. But... I'm too far into this to back out now. Besides, usually trouble follows me wherever I go."

"I get it, Alex. Just try not to get yourself killed, that's all I'm asking." Kate stated.

"Besides," Alex smiled. "If I get killed, Jack would bring me back to life and just kill me again."

"I understand," She smiled and began to walk away.

I stopped her, "Kate, thanks for saving me back there. I owe you one."

"You don't owe me anything." She said and continued walking.

The building shook, and, in the distance, a large fireball appeared in the sky. Everybody watched for a moment, then began the chaos. I looked at Kate, who had already gathered other detectives. I walked over to her, "You going to let me go this time?"

"You'll just follow us anyway." She said and the detectives, along with myself, left the building. I got in the back of Kate's cop car and another man jumped into the front passenger seat. "Castle! Get out of the car! I'm not going to let you get involved!"

Castle looked stunned, "You're letting a kid go, why can't I? I can be useful!"

"Castle-" She started, but Castle cut her off.

"Beckett, I'm not letting you go there without me. I promise I won't do anything reckless, but I _will _be by your side, regardless what you say." His eyes burned with determination.

She sighed and just drove away toward the explosion, her mind seemingly a thousand miles away. We passed through red lights and drove between other cars in order to get to the scene. I had my seat belt on while I gripped the seat as Kate sped through turns, trying not to get thrown around in the car. After a few torturous minutes, we finally made it to the scene. I jump out of the car and stared at the building that was now nothing but debris, but the surrounding buildings were blazing with fire. People on the street screamed in fear and the ones who couldn't stared in shock.

Kate stood next to me, "There's nothing we can do about this building." She gestured at the debris. "But there are most likely people in the other buildings. We need to see if we can help."

I looked around and noticed the fire department was there. _They have probably sent rescue teams in the other buildings, so there's not really much NYPD can do here. Besides, there are other law enforcement officers here. _

Castle brought me out of my thoughts, "Something's not right." Kate looked at him, her eyes telling him to continue, so he did. "Last time there was a helicopter, but not now. What's changed? Wouldn't they still want to make sure the building exploded? And, why did they pick another small target?"

What he said made sense. My instincts kicked in and I started to look around, "Somebody from the Black Sand is here watching this. I'd say the helicopter was at the last bomb site to make sure the building exploded. So they would still want to make sure their plans are actually working." I looked around the street, searching for anybody that looked suspicious. The only things I noticed were people on cell phones, a news team, civilians walking out of restaraunts and shops...

A man ran into me and I stumbled, "Get out of my way stupid kid! The end of this city is about to come and I'm not going to be here when it happens!"

Thinking fast, I grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt just as he was about to run again. "What do you mean 'the end of the city is about to come'? Are you involved in this?"

"Now why would you think that?" The man asked and smiled, "Like I would tell a brat like you what business I'm involved in."

"Kate, Castle." I called over my shoulder, they began to walk over.

The man kept on talking, "Let me tell you something, boy. The Black Sand is not a force to be underestimated or reckoned with. We kill to have fun, we destory to show the world who is in control... A brat like you and NYPD won't stop us." A second later, the man was being handcuffed.

As Kate put the cuffs on him, she said, "You are under arrest for threatening the city." She didn't say anything else, and I knew she would leave that for the interrogation room. As she gave the man to another detective, we got in her car and left; there was nothing else we could really do. Even though the ride to the station was only a few minutes, it felt like it had taken forever. The only thing I could really thing was, _What's going to happen now?_

**A/N: Okay, so here's another chapter... Now, I have only a few questions:**

**What do you think about the man Beckett arrested? Does he seem evil enough or should he be bit more... well, evil?**

**Is there anything you want me to add in future chapters?**

**Is it pretty fast paced? I'm not boring you am I? **

**Are you going to review? Remember, guest reviews are welcome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School is back and I already have homework and it's hard getting up at 4:45 for five days, going to school, coming home, doing homework, eat dinner, take a shower, then go to bed around eleven o'clock. So, yeah, it's pretty hard. Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope you enjoy.**

**(Castle)**

Alex and I stood outside the interrogation room, watching the events through the two-way mirror with a cup of coffee in our hands. No matter what Beckett said or threatened, the man wouldn't tell her anything other than, "The end of the world is near." In otherwords, it was extremely annoying and we were just wasting time with this man.

"I figured the Black Sand would send a smart member, I mean, who is stupid enough to walk to a crime scene saying "the end of the world is near"? None of this is making sense." I stated.

Alex nodded in agreement, "That's what I've been thinking. However, this man is a Black Sand member and getting infromation from him may be the only way we can finish this."

I silently agreed and contiued to listen to Beckett's threats and the man's useless rambling.

"Where's the kid that caught me? I want to see him." The man stated.

Beckett looked surprised for a moment, "Why do you want to see him?"

The man shrugged, "I have something to tell him. A message from the Black Sand."

I looked over at Alex and realized he was no longer beside me. When I turned around, I saw he was leaving the room, "What are you doing?"

He looked back at me, "I'm going to see what the man has to say."

"That's probably not a good idea." I warned.

"I've faced a lot of people more dangerous than him. That guy in there is just insane with a lot of information." Alex stated then I watched him walk into the interrogation room. Beckett looked like she was going to yell at him for a second, but stopped.

The Black Sand member turned around to look at Alex and began to laugh, "So you actually came in here, Rider?"

Alex didn't show any emotion when his name was mentioned, "How do you know my name?"

"We know everybody's name." The man stated. "The Black Sand are not to be underestimated."

Alex nodded, "I understand that, now what is it you wanted to tell me?"

The man smiled, "You'll die if you get involved, Rider. You will die watching the world around you shatter into a million pieces. The heart of this city will crumble. The citizens will die a painful death. An uncontrollable fire will fall from the sky and destroy everything within it's reach. We never give up, kid, not even Homeland Security can stop us. We will win against weak people like you and this NYPD."

The teen smiled, "If you know anything about me, you should know to never underestimate me."

"Now, for the last part of my message. Get a front row seat for the finale, it's going to be an entertaining show." The man was still smiling even as he fell from the chair. His chest didn't move, his eyes stared emptily at the wall, his dead body remained unmoving. Other detectives rushed in, attempting to revive the terrorist, but to no avail. I stood at the door, waiting for Beckett and Alex to come out. When they did, I saw a look of concentration on Alex's face.

I stated the obvious, "The finale is coming."

Neither one of them replied, both were concentrating on the message the man gave. "Okay," Alex began. "First thing, he knew my name. That means there's either a traitor or spy somewhere; MI6 or here, but we don't have time to find out."

"The world shattering into a million pieces could be a bomb." I continued.

Then, one phrase stuck in our mind. "The heart of this city..."

I looked at both of them, "It's Times Square."

**(Alex)**

"How can we find a freakin' bomb in Times Square?" I asked.

Beckett was already moving to Montgomery's office, "Right now, we have to focus on evacuating the area." She walked into Montgomery's office; Montgomery and another man sat at the desk, the man had his back turned. Montgomery stood up, but Beckett spoke before he could. "Sir, they're going to attack Times Square next."

Montgomery looked surprised, "That man finally spoke?"

Castle cut into the conversation, "Yeah, then he killed himself."

"It's normal for terrorists to kill themselves when being interrogated for information. My question, is the information reliable. Times Square could be-" The man was interrupted.

_No freaking way. _A shocked and angry tone came from me, "What are you doing here?"

"Cub, I was your sargeant, I expect you to talk to me with respect!" The sargeant yelled.

I replied instinctively and from my training at Brecon Beacons, "Yes, sir." Then, I asked again. "Sir, what are you doing here?"

He smiled, "That's better, Cub. The higher ups sent me here along with some of our SAS units."

"Woah, wait a minute, did you say SAS?" Castle asked and the sargeant nodded. "That's amazing!"

The sargeant sighed, "Great, another Eagle."

Castle, Beckett, and Montgomery looked confused. Then, Montgomery cleared his throat to speak. "Beckett, Castle, this is the sargeant of Brecon Beacons or SAS. They've been sent here to help us with the terrorists. The unit men are just out there." Montgomery nodded to where all the detectives' desks were and I noticed a crowd of people I didn't really pay attention to before.

"Cub, you ready to get back to your old unit?" The sargeant asked.

I felt my stomach drop, "Old unit? Are you crazy they'll kill me on sight!" When the sargeant looked at me, I noticed my mistake. "Sir." I finished.

"It was apart of the orders I was given, Cub. You are to report back to K-Unit and you will all be with Detective Beckett." The sargeant replied.

Beckett looked confused, "Sir," She looked at Montgomery, "What does he mean by that?"

"K-Unit will be with you at all times, even when you're home." Montgomery replied.

"Sir, I don't have an apartment large enough for all of them." Beckett stated.

Montgomery didn't pay he any attention, "You can work something out."

Before she could say anything else, the sargeant spoke, "Cub, go find your unit members."

"Sir, I wasn't their favorite member the last time, it won't be any-" I was cut off by him yelling at me.

"Go and find your unit, Cub!"

I nodded and sighed, "Yes, sir." Slowly, I walked out the door and toward the large group of SAS members. They were all talking, waiting for orders from the sargeant. Luckily, none of them noticed me as I tried to find K-Unit. Finally, I saw them. Taking a deep breath, I walked to them. They didn't notice me, so I cleared my throat, but they didn't hear. I sighed, after all, what could I say? _Hey guys, it's me Cub! _Yeah, right, so I settled with, "It's been a while, K-Unit."

They all looked at me. Wolf, of course, was the first to speak. "What are _you _doing here?"

"I would ask you the same question if I didn't already know." I stated. "Look, if I had a choice, I wouldn't be here right now, but the sargeant gave me orders to rejoin your unit for this mission."

Wolf growled, "I mean, what are you doing _here_? You're just a kid!"

"And my life is a nightmare." I muttered under my breath, "Wolf, I was sent here, but I can't tell you the details. I won't get in your way and you can pretend I don't exist for all I care. The sooner we get this mission done, the better."

There was a moment of silence between me and the unit. Then, Wolf replied, "If you slow us down..."

"I won't." I stated.

Then, Wolf seemed to calm down, "You still have to tell me about the whole deal with the school."

"Classified." I said.

Wolf shook his head, "You're temporarily in my unit, there's no secrets. Besides, I was shot because of you, so you owe me."

Snake broke in, "You were shot because of _Cub_?"

Wolf turned to his unit, "Yeah, I took a few bullets for him. You would have done the same if you'd been there." He turned back to me, "Welcome back, Cub, although I can say it's not nice to see you here."

"Same here." I replied. "Let's just get this mission over with."

**(Fox)**

When Cub went to find a detective, I stared unbelievingly at Wolf. "Have you hit your head? You do know that was Cub, right? The Cub that trained with us? The kid you put through hell?"

"Hey, you did, too." Wolf said defensively. "And, yes, I know that was Cub. I went on a mission with him once and he's earned my respect. After this mission, I'd say you will eventually respect him, too. As of right now, he is our official fifth member, so treat him like the rest of us."

I nodded, "Okay, but he'll most likely slow us down."

He shook his head, "I don't think so. You didn't see what this kid done at that school. I'll tell you all about it later, but let's figure out what our mission is exactly and worry about this later."

Snake, Eagle, and I nodded our heads, though I couldn't help but wonder what this kid done to earn Wolf's respect. _Double-O-Nothing became Double-O-Something. Cub is actually one of our comrades now, he's no longer the unofficial member of K-Unit._

**A/N: So... good, bad? Tell me what you think! **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Been busy! So, I'm not wasting any time! Here's the next chapter!**

**(Castle)**

"How do you know people in the SAS?" I asked the teen walking beside me.

"Classified." He stated for the hundreth time in the last ten minutes.

I still didn't stop asking him questions, "What did you do in the SAS? How come they give you all strange names? Do you know your unit memebers' names? Do you plan on going back to the SAS? Do they know anything about you?"

He interrupted me, "Most of that's classified. Ask the sergeant about the names. Yes, I know my unit members names, they're Wolf, Eagle, Snake, and Fox. I don't plan on going back and they don't know anything about me."

"No, do you know their real names?" I asked.

The boy sighed and Beckett looked back at me, "Castle, what are you doing? Interrogating him?"

"Well, I wouldn't consider it an interrogation..." I stopped when they both glared at me, "Fine. I'll stop."

We were just walking around the 12th Precinct, waiting for orders from both Captain Montgomery and the SAS sergeant. From the movements of everyone else, they were doing the same. We were all just waiting for another attack somewhere in New York, but the pressure of not knowing when or how was overwhelming. I looked at the SAS soldiers and wondered how they had the mentality to cope with all the unknown terrors of the world. How could they be a soldiers with the heart of a loving family member on the side of all this chaos? What did they tell their children about their 'job'? How did a mother tell the children when their father was dead? These soldiers had another life somewhere else, so how did they end up in the SAS? What past occurence made them become a soldier? _As for the kid... _I thought as I glanced at Alex. _Why is he being used? _All of these thoughts came rushing in and I simply couldn't block them or put them aside to analyze later.

Finally, Captain Montgomery and the SAS sergeant stood in front of every one of us, waiting for silence before speaking. Once everyone was silent, Captain Montgomery began. "This man beside me and the soldiers you see in this room are from SAS. They were sent here to help us protect New York, our city, our hometown... If you have any disagreements with them being here," He pointed to the door, "There's the door." Nobody even moved their feet, just listened to words intently. "Alone as New York Detectives, we can not stop this. However, with the help from the SAS, we can drive this group of terrorists from our home and put an end to them. Also, if anybody doesn't agree with the kid being here, even though I disagree with it, you can walk through that door. He's apart of the SAS and MI6 and will be treated with respect while here in my Precinct."

"He's just a kid!" One detective shouted out. "How can he be of any use to us? We don't need him!" Others began to agree with the detective, but some just stared uncertainly at everybody.

Ryan spoke up, "You saw what he done when the suicide bomber came in here, right? Or did you have your head turned the whole time?"

Espositio stood beside him, "Ryan's right. The kid probably surpasses all of us combined. Rider has my respect."

More detectives began to agree with Ryan and Esposito, making the ones disagreeing feel uncomfortable in their own environment. "If you put that kid into a mess like this, he'll surely die!"

I felt Alex tense beside me and he walked to the argumentive detective, "Look, I know you don't agree with my age, but I've probably been through more than you have. More than any of you have. I went through near death experiances to simply stay alive. My age makes people underestimate me and that makes them loose." I saw a group of people move behind the teen and I recognized they were SAS soldiers.

"I don't know our fifth member very well, but he surprised us at Brecon Beacons. Give him a chance and I'm sure he'll surprise you." One man stated.

Another SAS member nodded, "It's hard to tell how much Cub has grown since then, too."

Alex glared at the man who spoke last, "Eagle, you just had to tell them my codename, didn't you?"

Eagle laughed, "Hey, it was the only thing I could come up with and I wasn't going let Snake do all the talking. You kept up with us in training, kid, you have my respect."

The teen smiled at the four unit members standing with him against the detective's argument. Alex turned to the detective, who looked confused.

I smiled and nudged Beckett in the arm, "He doesn'y look like an innocent teenager anymore. Right now," I looked at Alex standing with his unit members, "He looks like he belongs with the SAS and is no longer a boy anymore, but a young man."

"Castle, that sounded strange coming from you." Beckett stated.

I shrugged, "He just reminded me of how mmuch Alexis has grown. One minute their little kids, then they grow up as soon as you blink."

There was nothing but silence between the SAS soldiers and the disagreeing detectives. Alex and his comrades defended his case and were victorious in the small battle. The detective turned and began to walk away. "If this Precinct and SAS needs the help of a child, I'm not helping with this case. If the boy dies, I don't want to be apart of the allied forces when it hits the front page." Some agreed with the man and left, but most of the detectives stayed.

"So, back to what I was saying. We have to be ready for an attack at any moment. Be on the lookout for anything strange. This is all I have to say." Captain Montgomery finished, looking at the sergeant to see if he wanted to add anything.

"You spoke my thoughts, I have nothing to say." The sergeant stated and they both shook hands, signaling the beginning of a great truce between the British SAS and the American NYPD.

**A/N: So, I wanted to update because I feel like I have been neglecting you all here lately. With my busy schedule, finding the time to write fanfics is tough! I just wanted to let you all know I have not forgotten about this story! This chapter was just a filler to get more information into the story, because some of it may be useful later on! Thanks for the constant support and I hope to see you in the next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Reason for not updating sooner: my English teacher gave me a huge project to complete (51 pages all written a certain way) and I had to get it done, I had to take the PLAN test, a midterm, and now I have to study for another midterm... Yeah, I've been busy! Sorry, but I should do better now! So, to make up for not updating in a while, I'll add a bit of action in this chapter.**

**(Alexis)**

I walked through the door, closed it, turned around, and immediately stopped. "Uh, dad... Are you going to tell me what's going on?" In the main room, there were four men that looked like soldiers, a teenager, a woman I had never met, and Beckett.

My dad stood up and walked over to me, "Well, it's kind of hard to explain. These men." He gestured to the group of soldier-like men, "They are here on a job. That's all." He gestured to the teenager and woman, "They are friends of Beckett's. They are all staying here."

"Okay... For how long?" I asked, not bothered by their appearance, just curious at why dad wasn't telling me everything.

"Oh, well, I don't know." He stated, "Look, it'll be alright."

I nodded, "Who are they? Detectives, soldiers, what?"

Beckett stepped in, "Their detectives here to practically shadow Castle and I to gain more experience in the field."

I nodded, then left to the kitchen, unsure of what to think. I sighed and grabbed the carton of orange juice from the refrigerator, listening to an argument.

"Eagle, can you shut up for a minute?" One yelled.

"You know that's impossible!" Another yelled.

I sighed, _this is going to seem like forever. _I grabbed a glass cup from the cabinet and turned to set it on the counter, seeing somebody behind me. Stunned, I dropped the glass and saw the person dive forward, catching the cup before it shattered against the floor. I breathed a sigh of relief, "Don't do that."

The teenager carefully set the glass on the counter and grabbed the carton of orange juice, pouring the liquid into the cup. "I'm sorry for scaring you." He put the lid back on the orange juice, then set it into the refrigerator. "I just had to get away from Eagle and Wolf for a few minutes." He handed the cup of orange juice to me and I glanced at it then at him. He looked to be about my age, his eyes shining, his hand holding the cup to me, his hair nearly falling over his eyes... His laugh brought me out of my observation and I realized he was still holding the orange juice to me, "It's not poisoned, I swear." His smile was small, like he had just remembered how to smile.

"Oh, really?" I decided to play along. "What if you put poison in the carton before I came here?"

Humor shone in his eyes, "True." He took a drink of the orange juice and handed the cup to me. "Now, if I die, will you call an ambulance?"

I grabbed the cup, poured the remaining juice down the sink's drain and abandoned the cup, "I'll think about it."

"I'm not sick or anything either." He stated.

I shrugged, "I don't know you, therefore, I don't think it's right to drink from the same cup."

He held out his hand, "My name is Alex Rider."

I shook his hand, "Alexis."

He nodded and looked back toward the main room, "Well, either Eagle is dead or Wolf kicked him out. I'll talk to you later."

"Okay." I replied, watching as he left the room. _Was he really just flirting with me? _I shook my head, believing there was no way he was flirting as I walked toward the stairs to my room. I glanced at everyone as they talked back and forth about random subjects. I glanced at Alex, who seemed to be forcing himself to listen to everybody's stories. _Why are they really here, dad? _

***The Next Day***

**(Beckett)**

Castle, Alex, K-Unit, and I immediately went to the station after we got the call. We reached the NYPD station and went to the 12th Prectinct. Montgomery was waiting for us when we stepped off the elevator. He walked over to the television, "They're preparing to strike again."

"Where?" I asked.

"We don't know. I believe they may start to attack Times Square. That timer on the bottom of the screen is how much time we have left." He pointed to the timer and it read three days, 2 hours, fourteen minutes, and seven seconds. "We have less than three days to find them."

Castle interrupted, "So, just evacuate the people in Times Square."

"He says he will blow up the entire New York if we evacuate Times Square. Our only option is to find him before he strikes." Montgomery replied. "However, if we find him, he'll kill hostages."

Eagle repeated, "Hostages?"

"Everyday New York citizens, but there's one you all know." Montgomery stated and went to the computer to open a live stream of the video, backing it up a few minutes. He let it play for a few seconds before the camera showed all of the hostages. I stiffened when I recognized the person.

Castle stared at the computer, "Alexis?" He clenched his fist, "Montgomery if this is a sick joke..."

Captain Montgomery just looked at him and the full impact of the situation hit him. "No... How did they get her?" Realization shone in his eyes, "She was going to her friend's house..." He hung his head and stopped talking, fear overwhelming him. I rested a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"We'll find her, Castle." Ryan promised and Esposito agreed.

"Everyone, the video is about to end!" A detective yelled and we all turned to the screen. There was nobody on there, but the disguised voice still rang clearly through the speakers.

_This world is full of useless people. It is not free or lovely, a place like this deserves to burn in the deepest pits of Hell. Starting with New York, the rise of this mighty empire will fall. _The television went blank then returned to it's regular channel. Castle stood up and stormed to the elevator, I followed him. "Castle."

"I have to go, Beckett. I'll search everywhere in New York until I find my daughter." He stated. "They attacked my hometown and now they take my daughter hostage..."

I grabbed his shoulder and he stopped, "We'll find her, Castle. You don't even know where she is. How can you find her like that?"

"I... I don't know, Beckett! Okay, I don't know! All I know is that my daughter is being held hostage and I need to find her!" Castle yelled.

The television screen flickered back to the channel with the voice and we all stopped to listen yet again. _I know you can hear me. There is only one person with you that I am interested in. I know Richard Castle's only daughter is among the hostages and I am willing to talk to try to make a deal. Dial this number into the phone. _The number went over the television. _This is a secure line and can not be traced by anyone. You only have thirty seconds to call starting now. _

Time seemed to stop for a moment, then move again. Castle grabbed his cell phone and quickly dialed the number before anyone could stop him. _Hello. _We could hear the conversation on the terrorist's side through the television.

"You better let my daughter and everyone else go!" Castle yelled. Usually, he was more calm and didn't sound as demanding but now worry and fear was overwhelming him.

_Why would I do that? They make good leverage against you all._

Castle gritted his teeth, "They have nothing to do with this!"

_You're right, but it still drives you mad, doesn't it? Let me ask you this, do you know where I'm going to strike next?_

"Dammit, I don't care where you strike next, just let them go!" Castle yelled.

_Where is the fun in that? It's all just a game where I'm the cat and you're the mouse. You won't beat me from the postion you're at now. Just see this as a video game in reality, after all, one of you knows what it's like to be in a live game. The odds are always against you and that will not change this time. Good luck surviving this next attack. _The television went off and the phone went dead. Castle cursed and hung up the phone.

Nothing made sense, how could we find them when we had no evidence?

**(Alex)**

Windows shattered around us and I heard a few explosions inside the building. I dove twoard the floor and covered my head for a few seconds before looking around. I watched as people were shot by snipers, enemies barged through the elevator, and I noticed a handheld bomb flying through the air. I rolled to the side just before it exploded, a few fragments embedding into my left side. Gunfire nearly deafened me as detectives and soldiers fought against their enemies. I saw a SAS knife close to me and I grabbed it. Quickly, I ran away from the windows, toward the center of the fighting. I stabbed one of the enemies in the shoulder from behind, making him fall to the ground clutching the wound. I swung the blade at another, slicing his chest. I repeated this action with another enemy and another.

"Cub, get away!" Snake yelled.

I turned to look at him, confused. Then, I heard something go _pi pi pi pi pipipipipipi. _I jumped to the side, but I was too late. The explosion hit my back and sent me flying through the air into the opposite wall. I faded into unconsciousness, the last thing I heard was the sound of battle still occurring.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I don't own Alex Rider or Castle. Sorry this isn't long, but I have a lot to update and I figure some is better than none. **

**(Beckett)**

The only thing we could do was shoot while taking cover behind desks. The smoke made the air cloudy and thick, but the battle was still continuing. Castle was beside me, his eyes wide with both confusion and rage. In his hand was a pistol from the fallen detective not too far away. "Are you okay?" He asked.

I just glanced at him, "I'll be better once this is over."

He nodded, "Me too."

I smiled at him, "Don't worry about Alexis. Right now, we have to get out of here."

"Good idea. Let's go." He stated and reloaded the pistol.

Both of us shot at the enemy in unison, taking down as many as we could without revealing ourselves to the snipers outside. Other detectives and SAS men fired as well. I heard Castle curse beside me and I looked over to see blood covering his shirt at the shoulder. "Castle, are you-"

He interrupted me, "It's just a graze." Then, he began to shoot again. Shouts of both the living and the dying could be heard over the gunfire. Finally, the gunsifre ceased and the attackers just left. I looked at the destruction and saw there were many bullet holes inside the walls, floor, ceiling, and bodies of both the living and dead. I swallowed the grief and anger, then looked at the survivors. They were cut up, bruised, and dirty. They all scrambled to help their fallen comrades and I took all this in instantly before beginning to help. Ambulances were called, white sheets were put over the dead bodies while the living were loaded into the back of the ambulances that tried to contain as many wounded as they could. A paramedic wrapped Castle's shoulder tightly. Esposito and Ryan walked up to us, thankfully sustaining only minor injuries.

Esposito began, "What do you think about this?"

I didn't look at him, "I believe this attack was a diversion."

The three men agreed. "Too bad the kid isn't here, he'd be able to figure some of this out."

"Kid?" Castle questioned, "You mean Alex?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, why?"

I finished Castle's thought, "He came with us today. He was in the 12th Precinct when it was attacked." Immediately, Esposito and Ryan ran back toward the building after saying they would find him. I just hoped Alex Rider wasn't among the fallen victims.

Hours later, the situation was still the same. People were dead, wounded, or searching for clues to lead us to the enemies. Alex still had not shown up either, which made us worry. Finally, Castle's phone rang, the noise somehow blared through the deafening noise and he answered it. "Hello?"

Immeditely, his eyes widened. "What do you mean?" He motioned for me and ran down the street into a store with a television and changed the channel without asking the owner. On the screen, there was a man and Castle put his phone on speaker. "Okay, I turned the television to the channel."

The man laughed over the phone, "_I must say, teenagers these days are stubborn._" I recognized the man's voice as the one from before on the television before the Precinct was attacked. The camera turned to the line of hostages and two men in masks grabbed Alexis from the line. She struggled to try to escape their grasp but she was only shoved toward the camera. Her eyes were defiant, but fearful.

"Let them all go." Castle stated from his earlier argument.

A gun appeared at his daughter's head, "_Her brains will be splattered across the room if you try to give me orders._"

Castle shook with rage, but kept his mouth shut. By this time, several detectives and SAS members filled the store and watched the television. "_Leave her alone._" A voice stated from the background. The camera swerved to the person who spoke: it was Alex. He rose from the line of hostages and kicked the men that tried to grab his shoulders. His hands were tied behind his back, but he still fought. They had him on the floor instantly and the gun was now aimed at him. Alex glared at the man holding the gun, "_Go ahead. What are you waiting for?_"

The man turned the gun away from the teen, "_I still need you. But, I don't need anybody else._" The man turned the gun to another hostage I didn't know, but Alex kicked the gunman in the bend of the knee and sent him crashing down. The man cursed at him and rose to his feet again and kicked the teen's ribs until a crack pierced the air. The camera went back to the gunman, "_You have less than three days to find the bomb, if you can. Until then, I'll threaten the hostages. Yes, Richard Castle, I'll kill your daughter without hesitation. I'll kill everybody. Soon, you will all experience a portion of the pain I felt. Until then..._" He pointed the gun at Alexis and the camera shut off just as the trigger was pulled.

**(Alexis)**

The minutes seemed like seconds as the man talked to my dad. The only thing I wanted to do was see my dad again and I didn't want to die here in this large room. I didn't cry as the gun was held to my head, I was too shocked and terrified. I wasn't ready to die, there was still too much I had to do. I closed my eyes as I heard, "Lever her alone." I opened my eyes to see Alex standing among the hostages and, in an instant, he was fighting with his hands tied behind his back. When they slammed him into the ground, tears of fear began blurring my vision. I watched, paralyzed, as the gunman kicked him until his ribs could be heard breaking. Then, I saw the gun was pointed to me again. I watched as the man's fingers slowly pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes before the trigger completed it's journey. I heard the bullet hit flesh and meat, but I felt no pain. I looked up just as Alex collapsed to his knees, blood leaking from his side an covering his shirt with the red liquid. His teeth were gritted painfully and I felt the trail of warm tears streak down my face. The gunman laughed, "You really are stubborn. I'll make you a deal, if you die, I'll kill everyone here. If you live, I'll kill you first then kill everyone here. How does that sound?"

"Go to Hell." Alex snarled through gritted teeth.

The gunman laughed and him and his lackies began to walk out of the room, "How much pain can you take, Rider? Your family is well-known in this world. I hope you don't disgrace that name."

"Your right, I won't. Because I'll kill you." Alex remarked just before the door was shut, leaving everyone alone.

Finally, I was able to snap out of it. "Alex..."

He looked at me with pain-filled eyes, "Don't worry. I've been through worse." He put his bonded hands on the floor behind his back and slowly, painfully, moved his arms underneath his legs until his hands were in front of him. He untied the knot with his teeth, then untied me. He stayed on his knees and held his side as I untied the others. I walked back over to him on trembling legs and sat down next to him. Blood seeped through his fingers, but I could tell it was slowing down. I couldn't figure out what to say to him, so I simply hugged him gently. He hugged me back with one hand.

"Thank you." I said and felt the tears cascade down my face.

Alex leaned against the wall, but still held me with one arm. "There's no need to thank me. I'd do anything for you."

**(Wolf)**

The ones that weren't wounded were gathered around the sergeant and Captain Montgomery, making plans for our next move. There wasn't a lot we could do, but we could at least try something.

"Half of you go to Towns Square and look for the bomb. As for the others, search every tall building in the city. There was no traffic noise on the videos, so it's a good possibility our enemies are in a tall building, away from the streets." Montgomery ordered.

The sergeant assigned every unit to either go to Towns Square or search the buildings. Luckily, K-Unit was assigned to search the buildings. Cub was our unit member and he was captured, we had to find him. Even though we bullied him back at Brecon Beacons, he was still the fifth member of K-Unit. And when my unit members are threatened, you can believe their tormenter will die. We may not have known Cub long, but he was still our comrade, unit member... our friend.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life caught up to me. Anyway, consider this a Christmas gift from me to you.**

**(Jack)**

"Where. Is. Alex?" I asked the SAS man, Eagle, as he was pinned against the wall. "You all get into a fight and managed to lose him? How are you in the SAS?!"

Saying Eagle was nervous was an understatement, "Uh... Guys, backup here would be much appreciated." At this comment, I let go of him and turned to face the others.

"How did he even get mixed up in all this?" When nobody answered me, I yelled, "Answer me!"

Beckett stepped forward, "Jack, we don't know where Alex is. But... we have something else to worry about. There's a bomb somewhere in the city that will blow up in three days time..."

"What about Alex?" I asked.

She stated sympaathetically, "He's among the hostages the Black Sand taken. We will get them all back alive, Jack. Don't worry."

I sighed, "Not unless Alex gets himself killed first."

"Jack, if you don't mind me asking, what exactly did Alex do as a spy?" Beckett asked.

At this question, I grabbed my cell phone and called a number. The person answered, "Hello?"

"Mrs. Jones, this is Jack. I'm requesting permission to reveal classified information to the NYPD. Alex is in trouble and I think they need to know whatever they need." I stated.

There was a brief pause, "Go ahead." I closed the phone.

I looked at the othersa dn they looked at me expectantly, "Alex lived with his uncle after his parents died when he was a baby. Alex's father was a spy as well as his uncle, Ian Rider."

Captain Montgomery interrupted, "Ian Rider? Was his brother John Rider?"

Jack nodded, "You knew them?"

"I met them a long time ago, Ian and John, they were legends, John was more than Ian. They held my respect." He replied.

"John Rider was Alex's father and Alex inherited his father's... talents I guess you would call it. Ian was killed by an assassin not too long ago and MI6 told Alex he died in a car crash, but Alex learned the truth. When he did, MI6 recruited him as their spy by blackmailing him. Have you heard of the Stormbreakers?"

Most of them nodded.

"The Stormbreakers contained a virus that would kill thousands of children, Alex stopped it. Then, he was sent on a mission to a boarding school where children were being cloned." I stated.

Wolf interrupted me, "I thought that was a one time thing!"

I shook my head, "I wish it was. On Alex's third mission, he was sent to one of the Florida Keys and stopped a nuclear bomb from going off. His last mission was his worst yet. Damian Cray created a video game by using real emotions. Alex told MI6 Cray was suspicious, but they didn't listen and Alex became a rogue agent. To get those emotions he made people play the game in real life, Alex was one of them. Cray was eventually killed when he was shoved into the engine of Air Force One. He's been through a lot and I believe he'll make it through this one fine."

**(Castle)**

Grief and fear were the only two emotions I felt other than being numb. My mind continued to rewind to the sound of gunfire before the camera was shut off. _Was Alexis shot? Will I ever see her again? Is she dead?_ I was terrified and that terror made me break down. The emotional pain at the thought I may have just lost my daughter was overwhelming. Tears cascaded down my face and tried to supress a sob, then I felt a hand on my shoulder. However, I didn't turn around. I felt Beckett's arms wrap around my waist with her face against my back. I wanted to find comfort in Beckett, but I was completely numb, devoid of all comfort. "Beckett." My voice cracked with grief, "We have to find them and when we do... The bastard that shot my daughter is mine. I know you're probably going to say I can't go, because it's too dangerous, but I'm going regardless of what you say or do to try to stop me."

She hugged me tighter, "I'm not going to stop you Castle."

**(Alex)**

The bullet wound burned and ached, but it was bearable. The other hostages continued to shoot glances at me, both in worry and confusion. I ignored their stares and drifted between a daze and sleep, my back against the wall and the girl, Alexis, at my side. I opened my eyes completely and looked at her, "You're deep in thought." I stated.

She jumped, not expecting me to talk to her. "Are we going to get out of here alive?"

I put my arm around her shoulders, "Yeah. The others, your father, Beckett, Esposito, Ryan, K-Unit... They'll come after us, don't worry. Until then, let's just focus on what's going on now."

"Alex, you've done this before, haven't you?" She asked.

I hesitated for a minute, "Yeah and I've lived every time, this time won't be any different. I'll get you all through this alive, Alexis. I promise." I stopped as the door opened and two men grabbed my arms, then pulled me through the door. I knew what was going to happen and I accepted it. I was about to be tortured. _I wonder what they'll do? Have the others found the bomb yet? Will they find us or will I have to try to get everyone out? Have they figured out where the bomb is, like I have? Is it all hopeless? _Even in the midst of my thoughts, I took mental notes of the hallways I was going through and I even saw an exit sign. This gave me hope, _maybe it's not hopeless after all_. Then, they lead me through another door, into a cold, white room where I could see two pairs of restraints, one for my ankles and one for my wrists. In the corner was the video camera and I knew my torture session was going to be broadcasted. The two men chained me to the wall and left. I smiled, vowing I would reveal whatever information I knew about my enemies. The door opened again and the Black Sand leader walked through the door. He turned on the video camera and made a single call on a phone, "Turn on the television, you'll see something you will never forget."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Okay, this took me forever to figure out... Enjoy!**

**(Wolf)**

Castle's cell phone rang and he had it in his hand, but I knew he was too afraid to answer it. I understood the pain the man must be going through with the loss of his daughter, so I didn't say or do anything. Beckett however gently took the phone from his hand and answered it, "Hello?" She listened to the person on the other end of the line and waved for a detective to turn the television on. By this time, everyone who had been sent out to look for the bomb had come back with no leads. The detective turned the television on and the first thing we all saw was a restrained Cub. Immediately, I knew what was going to happen and I was sure everybody else in this room knew. "Let the hostages go, if you hurt anyone of them, we'll hunt you down like the animal you are."

The man Beckett was talking to could be heard on the television, "_Do you know how many death threats I get daily? You'll hunt me anyway, whether or not I kill hostages. How's the author coping with his daughter's death? You see, that's the kind of pain we want. Emotional. Now, you're going to see how we cause physical pain as well._" The man stepped toward Cub, "_Now do you have any final words?_"

Cub smiled, _"Actually, yeah, I have to tell them to call my funeral arranger. Three, five, zero, five, one, zero, one, one, eight._" K-Unit, along with a few detectives, wrote down or memorized the numbers. Cub looked at the man, "_Also, go to Hell." _Even though I was afriad for Cub, I was glad he wasn't giving in, he still had spirit.

The man slapped Cub across the face, the noise was loud even through the television speakers. Blood trickled down Cub's face, but his eyes were alight in anger and defiance. "_You'll tell us everything we need to know. Got it?_"

Cub pretened to not hear, _"What was the question?_"

We could only watch as Cub was hit again and the man called for the tools. "_You're about to learn your manners._"

_"Gee, can't wait._" Cub replied sarcastically.

That was when I noticed something, "He's been shot." The others looked at the blood on the teen's shirt and nodded an agreement.

"Listen, the kid is injured enough as it is. Let him go." Beckett said through the phone.

The man laughed, "_His own stupidity got him shot! Too bad he won't be able to protect that girl anymore, not after I'm through with him._"

Castle looked up at this, "Girl? You mean..." He grabbed the phone from Beckett, "Look, I want to talk to Alex before you do anything else to him."

"_Why should I do that?_" The man asked.

"If you don't let me speak to him, this television will be unplugged. That's what you want, right? A show?" Castle stated.

The man growled, _"Fine, but be quick."_

We all watched as the man put the phone up to Alex's ear. Castle said, "Alex, is Alexis okay?"

_"Yeah."_

"We'll find you all, Alex. Those numbers, what-" Before Castle could finish, then man took the phone away from Alex's ear.

"_I've wasted too much time already. Goodbye, and enjoy the show._" The man laughed and hung up the phone. Castle cursed and we all watched the television. The man grabbed a knife and held it against Cub's arm. "_Tell me everything you know about the NYPD, SAS, and MI6._"

_"Let's see, how about the fact that they'll beat you to a bloody pulp if I don't get to you first." _Cub stated, not allowing fear to overtake him. The knife dug into Cub's skin and blood trickled down, when Cub did not say anything else, the knife went deeper. Then, slowly, the man moved the knife down, slicing the skin and making a deep gash in the teen's arm. You could see Cub's teeth were clenched in pain, but he made no sound. The man asked the same question, but the teen still refused to answer. The knife carved into Cub's other arm, this time deeper, but the young MI6 agents still remained silent. The man frowned in disappointement and set that knife down and grabbed another one shaped like a saw. He held the saw blade up to Cub's throat, "_I could kill you right now, I can just find somebody else to torture. I could even torture the girl._"

Cub glared at the man, "_Remember our deal? If I die, you'd kill everyone._ _Well, I'm not dead yet. What are you waiting for or are you afraid to see how much I can take?_"

The man smiled, "_I remember that deal, but either way you and the other hostages will die._" In a blink of an eyes, the man sliced down with the saw blade, a long, deep gash forming in Alex's chest, his shirt ripped to pieces so that it merely clung to his body by one shoulder. A inevitable, painful gasp escaped from the boy as the blood dripped to the floor. "_It hurts, doesn't it, kid. This is the pain of reality._" The man grabbed another tool, this one was sharp with a large hook on the end

"_Most of the pain in this world is a result from the actions people like you make!_" Alex yelled. "_And, I'll be damned if I let somebody like you tell me about the pain reality can cause when you help create the pain!_"

At this remark, the man's hand slammed forward and the air was forced out of Cub's lungs. Confusion formed in the teen's eyes as he stared down at the hooked tool protruding from his side, where his ribs were. "_A teenager like you will never understand until you go through it!_" Then, the man began to pull on the hook and a loud _crack _seemed to echo off the walls. Cub screamed in agony as two of his ribs were forced to break and the broken pieces stuck through his skin. "_This pain you feel is only a portion of the pain I have felt._" The man pulled the hook instrument out of Cub's side and grabbed a blowtorch lighter, testing it to make sure it worked. "_Take the restraints off of him and keep a firm hold on his arms and legs._" I watched as two people took the restrains off Cub and turned the boy's back to the man. The two men cut Cub's shirt off him and threw it aside. As soon as the fire touched the boy's skin, Cub tensed up. However, when his muscles would tense, it pulled on his broken ribs, which made the pain worse. The teen's agonizing screams seemed to burst through the television speakers as the man etched two words with the flame on Cub's back: Black Sand. The man nodded to the two men and they used the knives to torture Cub while the man adressed all of us. "_You all have seen what I can do. In a few days, the bomb will explode. In a few days, you will experience the pain I felt._" He told the men to stop torturing the kid and the two men stepped aside, revealing Cub. His body was torn up and nearly broken. He tried to crawl to his knees, but the pain was too unbearable and he collapsed again in the gradually growning puddle of his own blood. His chest rose and fall quickly as he attempted to breathe, every breath was interrupted by a painful cough. Eventually, I watched as the youngest member of my unit collapsed to the ground, coughing weakly in a futile attempt to rid the blood from his lungs.

**(Alex)**

Pain. Agonizing pain. Unimaginable pain was all I felt as I lay there in my own blood, weakly coughing up the blood in my lungs. I could barely breathe, each inhalation was agonizing. I wanted to stop breathing, I just wanted to die. However, I remembered that if I die, the man would just begin to kill the hostages. I wanted to live for them, but I didn't know if my body could survive this. I was broken and bleeding. I was suffering. Tears slowly fell down my face with every cough, every burst of pain. I just wanted them to leave me alone. The man walked over to me and used his foot to shove me on my back. I coughed painfully and glared at him through blurry eyes. "How much more can you take, kid?" He asked and I wondered the same thing. Then, his slammed his foot into my stomach and a scream erupted from my lungs, followed by beads of blood. He turned to one of the men, "Turn the camera off." I lay there with my eyes tightly shut, trying to find a way to be free of the pain. However, there was no escape. I didn't even realize when the leader gave the order to take me back to the others. The two men grabbed my forearms and dragged me through the hallways into the room with the hostages, who gasped in horror when they saw me. Distantly, I could hear somebody vomit. _I must look as bad as I feel... _I was dropped to the floor and I knew my broken ribs were going to slam into the floor first, but I felt two pairs of hands catch me. When the door closed and the men left, I heard somebody say 'You're going to be okay'. In my heart, I wish I knew I was going to be okay. However, a hand took mine and the person said 'You said you lived through things like this everytime. You said you were going to get us out, don't die and make that a lie'. I didn't have the strength to reply. _If I die, then I would have only told you part of a lie. But, I did manage to tell them where we were. If they figure it out, you'll be out of here soon, with or without me. _Then, I couldn't think anymore.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I know, it's been a while. I had schoolwork to worry about and deaths in the family. Please forgive me for this chapter being late.**

**(Castle)**

"Those numbers are coordinates." One of the SAS men stated.

However, I already knew it. I used my cell phone to type in the number on Google Maps. "3, 5, 0, 5, 1, 0, 1, 1, 8. New York City, New York." Instantly it popped up with the answer. "'The rise of this mighty empire will fall'..." I turned my phone to show the others, "It's the Empire State Buidling. That's where the hostages and the bomb is."

"We can only assume the bomb is there. For all we know, it could be somewhere in Times Square." Beckett replied.

I shrugged, "Maybe it is an assumption about the bomb or even the hostages, but either way, we're either going to find the bomb or the hostages inside of the Empire State Building."

Every detective and SAS soldier looked to their leaders for support. " Captain Montgomery and the SAS sergeant were considering on what to do. "It's the only lead we have." Montgomery stated.

"We have no clue what floor we're supposed to go to." The Sergeant replied.

Captain Montgomery looked torn, "Alright. I can send in a few detectives undercover to search the building. I don't know what else to do in this situation."

"No, I have a better idea. There's cameras inside that building, right?"

Montgomery nodded, then realized where he was going with it. "You're going to have somebody hack into the security and activate the cameras?"

The Sergeant nodded, "I believe it's the best bet we have." He turned to look at one of the men, "Eagle, Lion, you two are up. I want you to get inside of the Empire State Building and hack their security cameras. Tell us as soon as you learn which floor it is."

"Yes, sir." The two SAS men stated, accepting their mission without hesitation.

"As for the rest of you, once we learn where the bomb is, you need to deactivate it as quickly as you can. For there to be a time limit on it, there must be a timer on the bomb itself. C-Unit, you're in charge of deactivating the bomb. Now, there's only one more thing..." The sergeant turned to look at Montgomery, "What are we going to do about the hostages?"

Captain Montgomery thought for a moment, "If we storm the building, chances are they'll be dead before we even get close to them."

I spoke up, "We figure out their pattern."

Everybody looked at me, confused and I suddenly felt a bit pressured. "What do you mean?" The Sergeant asked.

"You'll have the control of the cameras. Use them to figure out which floor the hostages are on, then watch the enemy's movements. Every organized force has a certain movement they follow. For these people to be as organized as they are, they must have a pattern." I replied in detail. I saw people begin to nod in approval, even though some looked a little bit apprehensive. The Sergeant and Captain Montgomery considered carefully, then nodded.

Captain Montgomery began to give orders to everyone, "It's like what Castle said. We learn their movements and attack when their least expecting. If anyone has a better idea, speak up. If anybody feels this idea isn't going to work and we're just running to death, you can leave without being unfairly judged. We all have families and I know you want to get back to your own. I'll understand if you want to leave now to see your family again. You know where the door is." Nobody moved a single inch toward the door. Everybody stared at the two leaders, waiting to be given the details of the mission.

The Sergeant spoke up, "We're all from two different countries. Right now, though, that doesn't matter. We all have made the same promises. We have all promised to protect the civilians of our country. Even though the SAS is from a different country, we fight for the same reason. To protect. I trust every single one of you, both SAS and detectives. It's an honor to be working alongside you all. Hopefully, we won't have to meet again under these circumstances, but let us be friends today and let us remember everything we have done as one large unit of patriots. We're no longer divided by SAS and NYPD detectives. Now, we're one force. There are no distinguishes. Until this mission is over, we are one. When this mission ends, I hope we can still think of ourselves as one. Now, let's get these bastards."

Every person in the 12th Precinct agreed with the Sergeant's words. Our respect was silent, but it could still be felt in the heart of every man and woman. This is our world, this is America, this is New York City. The Black Sand wasn't about to take it from us. There was no way we were going to lose our hometown. We were going to stand and fight to defend our country or die trying. The crowd began to break apart and scatter, preparing for the journey ahead. Captain Montgomery walked to me, "Castle, I..."

I interrupted him, "Captain, I know what you're about to say, but, with all due respect, you're not leaving me behind. My daughter is being held hostage, I intend to get her back myself. No matter what I have to-"

This time, I was interuppted by Montgomery. "I wasn't going to stop you from going, Castle." He pulled something from the inside of his jacket and handed it to me. I grabbed the handgun in my hand, surprised that he gave it to me. "I was just going to say I hope you knew how to load the ammunition and turn the safety off."

I smiled at him, "Thank you, Montgomery."

"I know what it's like to love a daughter, I have two of my own. If I were in your situation, nobody would stop me either." He stated and we shook hands. "Try not to get killed, that will put too much paperwork on my desk."

**(Alexis)**

I was aware of the tears streaming down my face as I held Alex's limp, mangled body. Torn shirts and jackets created makeshift bandages and me and two other people put them on the injured teen, but the fabric was already soaked with blood. Alex's head was on my knees and I put pressure on a few wounds to stop the bleeding. Eventually, it stopped, but Alex was still pale and unconscious. I had never seen anyone this motionless and pale except for when they were lying dead in the morgue. I was horrified at the sight. The stench of his blood invaded my senses and made me sick, but I held back to urge to vomit. Carefully, I leaned my forehead against his and began to pray. I prayed that Alex would live, we would all get out of this safely, and these monsters that caused this would be stopped and recieve the punishment they deserve.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: First of all, please don't kill me! I know it's been months, but I've been busy! However, I've thought about this story and I must inform you of something. It's been fun writing this story and I'm going to wrap it up. I thank you all for your patience and kind words! There's some cursing in this, just giving you a warning.**

**(Eagle)**

"We're in." I stated into the hidden device on the inside of my collar. This was my first time infiltrating a building like this without my unit members, my comrades. Even though I had Lion in the same building, it wasn't the same. However, I had to remind myself that Cub was a member of K-Unit. He was somewhere in this building with other people, scared individuals. I thought back to when I saw the teen tortured and I found myself caring for his well-being.

For a moment, I wondered why I cared exactly. After all, he was Double-O-Nothing while he was training with us. We all thought he was simply a spoiled brat. After everything that has happened, I wished I hadn't been such an ass to him. An image of his blood streaming to the floor made sheer anger well up inside me. Why did he have to go through that? Why did he have to go through that torture like my brother did? I knew as soon as I saw how they ripped a few of Cub's ribs from his body that these people we were confronting were the same ones that tortured and murdered my brother a few years ago. I had to help save Cub, I had to avenge my brother and this was a way I could help.

I walked around, pretending to be interested in the architecture while I searched for my destination. Lion kept his distance, but looked for any suspicious activity. Finally, we found the room with all the monitors and equipment. Instantly, I raised my gun to the figure sitting in a computer chair. "Don't move." I stated. Lion closed the door behind us and I was glad that the gun in my hand had a silencer on it. However, the man did not respond to my command. I walked over to him and noticed he was sitting in a strange position.

Immediately, a strange sensation rested on my gut. I knew what was wrong with this man, but I had to make sure. I walked until I was standing in front of him staring into his lifeless eyes. A large red spot covered his shirt where a bullet had directly entered his heart. Blood trickled from his mouth, ears, and eyes from the internal bleeding. The blood began to turn black; the man had been dead for a while. I ignored the cold feeling you get when you see or hear about somebody being dead and turned to the computers, which were still operating.

"Lion, watch the door. Make sure nobody gets in here." I stated, then spoke into the radio on my collar. "We have reached our destination. Beginning the mission now." Quickly, I began to scan the computer monitors until I managed to open a screen of some of the cameras inside the building. Carefully, I searched for the hostages, bomb, or men with guns. "Shit."

Lion looked at me, "What is it?"

I didn't bother to answer him. Instead, I spoke into the radio, "They must have uninstalled the security cameras on different floors to throw us off. There are seventeen cameras that show nothing but a black screen." I gave them the list of floors. "How should we continue?"

_"Search the first twenty floors, then wait for further instructions."_ The voice said over the radio.

I looked at Lion to see if he heard our instructions. He nodded and carefully stalked out of the room, then motioned that everything was clear. I followed him toward the stairway, knowing this was probably going to be the longest search of my life. However, we continued to search, because it was our mission. We had to get the hostages and see if the bomb was anywhere among the twenty floors we were assigned.

After a while, we finally managed to make it to the sixteenth floor without spotting anything suspicious. Somebody began to talk through the radio. _"Eagle, you better answer me now." _I knew the voice, it was Wolf, but why would he be contacting now of all times? I picked up the radio and spoke into it, "Eagle."

_"What do you think you're doing? You were supposed to contact us and wait for orders!" _Wolf stated angrily through the radio.

Lion and I were both confused, "Wolf, somebody there gave us the order to search the first twenty floors." Immediately, I knew what happened. "Somebody has interfered with the radio frequencies..."

_"Eagle get out of there right now."_ Wolf stated.

"What about the hostages and the bomb? We're already here so shouldn't we continue, regardless?" I questioned.

Wolf's answer was not heard due to the ambush. I dropped the radio on the floor and whirled around to face our attackers. "Don't shoot or I'll give the order to kill every one of the hostages right now. Put your weapons on the floor and kick them away from you." A man ordered, eight other people behind him with guns leveled at us.

There was nothing else we could do, so we abandoned our weapons. As soon as we did, Lion and I were restrained by handcuffs and were dragged through the empty hall and into an elevator. Even though we struggled, there was no hope of getting away. Somebody hit me in the back of the head with something and I fell into darkness.

**(Alex)**

It seemed like all I could do was sleep. Technically, I would eventually pass out from the pain and blood loss, but it helped escape from the constant pain. Each time I woke up, I was reminded of the pain and passed out again. However, somehow, the pain began to fady away until it was almost tolerable. I was asleep, trying to regain my strength, when they brought two other people into our prison.

I heard the two people be thrown to the floor, then the sound of the door shutting echoed throughout the room like a quiet gunshot. When I opened my eyes, I found Alexis was still beside me and nobody else had been hurt or killed, there were just two new people. When I focused on the two new people, I realized who they were. Painfully, I sat up, got to my knees, then to my feet. Alexis begged me to sit down, but I knew if I did I probably wouldn't be able to get up again.

With aching wounds, I slowly walked over to the two new arrivers with Alexis supporting me. "Eagle, Lion. What are you doing here?"

Lion looked up at me, "Cub, I'm surprised you're still alive. I thought you died for sure. Anyway, they sent us in to search the place for you guys and the bomb, but we were ambushed."

Eagle began to move, "Who was the bastard that hit me in the head? I'm going to bash his brains in the next time I see him."

"Shut up, Eagle. Everybody knows you're all talk." I replied.

He smiled at me, "And you're the one to talk? You okay, kid?"

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" I asked, then changed the subject. "What's been going on outside?"

"You haven't missed anything other than seeing a living Hell." Eagle replied.

I sighed, "Lovely. What's the plan?"

"The plan was to infiltrate this place, figure out which floor you were on, and report back to HQ, but that apparently failed. We were contacting HQ through a radio, but somebody interfered with it's frequencies and gave us a different order than what we were supposed to do." Lion replied.

I sighed, "Alright, then. It looks like we're on our own."

Eagle questioned, "What do you mean?"

"How did the Black Sand know that you and Lion were coming? Either they were watching the entire time or someone tipped them off. Regardless of which on it actually is, we have to find our own way out of here, if we can reach it that is..." I replied and began to think again.

Eagle narrowed his eyes, "What are you up to, Cub?"

I smiled and pointed, "That's what I was thinking."

Everybody looked to where I was pointing, some smiled, some had worry-filled eyes. Eagle laughed, "You're suicidal, you know that?"

"I get that a lot, now are you going to help or not?" I asked.

"You know me, Cub, whenever there's something going on, I'm right in the middle of it. Let's work on getting out of here." He replied, ready to leave this place and fight on equal terms with the Black Sand. I smiled, they gave us hell, but now we were going to bring actual Hell to them.


End file.
